CROTON SCABIOSUM. (Nat. order Euphorbiacese.) 



CrOTON. Linn.— GEN. CHAR. Monascious or rarely diaecious. Male, calyx 5 (rarely 4-6) parted vallate or imbricate, petals as many as 

 the calyx-lobes and alternate with them, or sometimes obsolete or more or less rudimentary imbricate in aestivation, disk dilated ioto 5 glands alternate 

 with the petals, stamens central usually 10-20 (rarely fewer or very numerous), filaments tree basifixed, anthers adnate 2-celled, rudiment of ovary 0. 

 Female, calyx as in the male, petals more or less rudimentary or none, disk as in the male or ofteu less developed ; ovary 3-(rarely 2-4)-celled, cells 1-ovuled, 

 ovules pendulous, styles 3 (rarely 2-4) 2-cleft or branched. Fruit a capsule dividing into 2 valved cocci, albumen present, cotyledons ovate equalling the 

 radicle. Trees, shrubs or herbs, leaves alternate entire or divided petioled penniveined or 3-5-nerved, racemes or spikes terminal usually with the male 

 flowers numerous above and a few female flowers below. — Tridesmis, Lour. Astrogyne, Benth. Dacarinium, Drepadenium aud Heptalla, Safin. Hendecandra, 

 Eschw. Pentalostigma, Mart. Argyrodendron, Astraea, Barhamia, Brachystachys, Cleodora, Codonocalyx, Crotonanthus, Cyclostigma, Engelmania, 

 Eutropia, Geiseleria, Lasiogyne, Leucadenia, Medea, Ocalia, Pilinophyton, Podocalyx, Podostachys, Tiglium, Timandra, Klotzeh. Geiseleria, Mi%. Angelandra, 

 Bndl. Gynamblosis, Torr. Calyptriopetalum, Eassk. Klotzschiophyton, Baill. Aubertia and Monguia, Chapel. Argyra, Noronha. Aniaophyllum and 

 Furcaria, Boiv, Myriogomphus, Fr. Diedrichs. 



CeOTON SCABIOSUM. (Bedd.) A small tree, young branches, both sides of the leaves, inflorescence, fruit, and in fact 

 every part of the plant densely covered with close-set silvery smooth scab-like scales, leaves rather coriaceous ovate to cordate acute 

 slightly and irregularly toothed, 2-4 £ inches long by 1 J-3 broad, golden when young silvery in age particularly beneath, 3-5 nerved 

 at or a little above the base without glands round the margins, petioles 8-24 lines long often with 2 conspicuous round glands at 

 the apex on the upper side, stipules lanceolate acute 3-4 Hues long sometimes toothed at the margins, racemes short generally from tho 

 apex of small lateral branches. Male, flowers numerous about 2 J lines long solitary or 2-3 together from a small ovate acute concave 

 bract, pedicels about a line long. Female, flowers generally 1-2 at the base of the raceme a little longer than the males, petals of the 

 male ligulate densely white-woolly round the margins and at the base, disk of 5 two-lobed prominent glands opposite the calyx- 

 segments, stamens 10, filaments glabrous, anthers basifixed, connective very broad and running up the whole anther, the cells ad- 

 nate to the sides, petals in the female small linear ciUate sometimes obsolete or only 1-2 present, ovary 3-celled, styles deeply 2- 

 cleft the divisions entire smooth fihform recurved and ending in a fine point, fruit 5-6 lines long 3-lobed, seed smooth with a con- 

 spicuous scar. 



I have only found this very distinct species on the Nullay Mallay mountains, Kurnool district, where it is most abundant about the 

 Yerrachalma (2000-3000 feet elevation) ; its very silvery appearance renders it highly ornamental. 



Analysis. 



1. Portion of a leaf magnified, showing the dense scab-like glabrous silvery scales. 



2. Inflorescence at the apex of 2 lateral ramuli, life size (flowers all male in this instance ; there are generally 1-2 females present 



at the base of the raceme.) 



3. A branch (life size) showing a raceme with 1 fruit at the base, and male flower buds at apex. 



4. A male flower bud. 



5. A male flower, stamens 10. 



6. The male flower opened, showing the insertion of the petals and stamens, aud the 5 two-lobed glands of the disk, no rudiment 



of ovary. 

 7- A petal. 



8. Anthers front and back view, the thick connective runs up the entire centre so that the front aud back view is exactly the 



same. 



9. A female flower, only 1 rudimentary petal present, 2 styles (there are generally 3), stigmas filiform entire. 



10. A female calyx opened, the segments rather unequal. 



11. A petal from female flower. 



12. Ovary cut vertically, ovules pendulous. 



13. Ovary cut transversely, 3-celled each 1-ovuled. 



14. A seed, the scar or hilum prominent. (Drawn from dried specimens.) 



Fig. A. represents a female flower, an anther, aud portion of a leaf from the male of Croton aromaticum, (vide Manual) 



283 



